SISTER ACT (Spring '11) to Be Helmed by Jerry Zaks

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141008-Jerry-Zaks-Will-Stage-Sister-Act-Musical-On-Broadway

"Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks will helm the gospel-kissed musical SISTER ACT when the tuner arrives on Broadway in spring 2011...

Peter Schneider staged the original West End premiere of SISTER ACT. Anthony van Laast, who choreographed in London, will repeat his duties for Broadway."

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Updated On: 7/8/10 at 12:56 PM

Perhaps Emma Zaks will be portraying Sister Mary Tonedeaf...

*Headdesk* *Headdesk* *Headdesk*

I had such high hopes for this show too!

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Peter Schneider (who was involved in initially optioning the rights to the material when he was at Disney) quietly left the show during tech in London over conflicts with the producers. While he retained his directorial title, most of the work from then on was done by a woman from Stage Entertainment billed as a "creative consultant."

Oddly enough, the situation is very similar to how Jerry Zaks worked on THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

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Updated On: 7/8/10 at 01:24 PM

Is there a theater available for this?

Zaks isn't a total hack. He used to churn out some pretty wonderful productions (House of Blue Leaves, Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, ...Forum). I'm not saying I have total faith in him, since it's been years since he's really directed anything of quality. But, still, I have some hopes that this could turn out well.

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Well, this is disappointing news!

Zaks has staged nothing but disasters in recent memory. Besides The Addams Family, don't forget about his La Cage, Little Shop, Epic Proportions, and The Civil War.

I think the last hit show he directed was the Forum revival...in 1996.

"He used to churn out some pretty wonderful productions (Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls)."

Both of those turned out very well, but he has not lived up to either of thos lately.

"I just hope they are getting Patina Miller to reprise the role on Broadway, I can't imagine they'd hire an American actress to play the part in London without anticipating that she'll open the show on Broadway"

I would assume she would transfer over, but for all we know it's part of the Love Never Dies equity exchange as Slater is lyricist for both. For Woman in White, Trevor Nunn finished off with the casting of Jill Paice as Scarlett O'Hara in the mega flop Gone with the Wind a few years later (she ironically did both shows).


I agree with adamgreer on this one. Zaks is bad news... remember when he just made The Civil War a big concert revue-y show, with the big mics visible on the characters, yet then would proceed to have them act out certain parts of it. A mess!

Well I thought the biggest problem was going to sets having to be made smaller and less complex. Now I'm worrying if they should even bother. Did Whoopi have a say in choosing him, since she did Forum?

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"I would assume she would transfer over, but for all we know it's part of the Love Never Dies equity exchange as Slater is lyricist for both. For Woman in White, Trevor Nunn finished off with the casting of Jill Paice as Scarlett O'Hara in the mega flop Gone with the Wind a few years later (she ironically did both shows)."

UK Equity has no requirement for an "exchange" like AEA does, as I understand it. There's no need for a Brit to be exchanged in return for having Patina in London.

Re: Woman in White, I don't think your summation is quite right. Woman In White starred two Americans in London - Jill Paice and Angela Christian. When it transferred to Broadway, Maria Friedman and Michael Ball came with it. I think that would have satisfied the Equity exchange rules.

Ramin and Sierra will surely cancel each other out for Equity purposes when LND eventually makes it over to the States. Glenn Slater will have nothing to do with it - and neither did Trevor Nunn for Gone With The Wind, although Jill Paice's employment may have been in exchange for Hayden Gwynne going to the States for Billy Elliot - both GWTW and Billy were managed by Colin Ingram (although I don't think Mr Ingram does Billy any more). The onus is on the producers/general managers to find an equivalent exchange, not the director or lyricist!

Can they get a new poster/playbill design now?

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